Power-transmission clutch



July 31, 1923. 1,463,327

0. 1.. LEWIS POWER TRANSMISSION CLUTCH Filed Feb. 8, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 W04 um m July 31, 1923. v 0. L. LEWIS POWER TRANSMISSION cw'rcu Filed Feb. 8, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 30 O 14; 32 J G Fig.3 Fig.4 5 Fly. 6

a as i INVENTOR.

Patented July 31, 1923.

UNITED STAT-ES PATENT OFFICE.

O'I'TO LEROY LEWIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

POWER-TRANSMISSION CLUTCH.

Application filed February 8, 1922. Serial No. 584,998.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Orro Lnnor LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Power-Transmiss on Clutch, of which the following is a spe:1fi cation.

My invention relates generally to frict on clutches used to transmit power from a during member to a driven member, and more particularly to clutches installed in connection with engine flywheels on motor vehicles and farm tractors for the purpose of controlling the power delivered from the engines to the transmission dr ve shafts.

The primary object of this invention 18 the provision of a simple, practical, durable, and easily operated power transmission clutch having smooth engaging and steady driving qualities and not requiring frequent adjustment to take up wear. t further object is the provision of an easlly assembled and durable clutch release mechanism, the thrust bearing of which may be well lubricated and protected from dirt. A still further object is the provision of a clutch mechanism which lends itself to cheap manufacture while retaining superior quality.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawlngs, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of the assembled clutch and engine flywheel the ad acent ends of the engine crankshaft and transmission drive shaft being shown:

Figure 2 is an end view of the clutch removed from the flywheel, the view being from the transmission end, the transmission drive shaft not shown; this view being partly in section to disclose the arrangement of some of the working parts:

Figure 3 is a sectional view and Figure 4 is an end view of the fulcrum link between the throwout lever and one of the driven plates; Fi ure 5 is a section of the hingepin lugs, igure 6 being an end view of the same.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throu bout the several views.

Re erring now to these figures, and particularly to Figure 1, the engine flywheel 1 is bolted to the flange of engine crankshaft 2. The transmission drive shaft 3 has one end supported by bearing 4 mounted in flywheel 1. Securely fastened to the flywheel are the dished circular plates 5 and 6, forming the inside and outside clutch drivin plates respectively. The inner surfaces 0 these plates are lined with friction facings 7 and 8 secured to their respective plates by a number of rivets, 9. The inside clutch driven plate 10 and the outside clutch driven plate 11 are so arranged that, when the clutch is engaged, pressure from a number of springs 12 enclosed between plates 10 and 11 holds these plates firmly against friction facings 7 and 8. Spring retaining bosses 13 maintain springs 12 in position. The springs are arranged so as to balance the pressure between the plates. The driven plates are interlocked at their outer edges by a series of processes and recesses 14 and 14, forming a dovetailed joint with a sliding fit. The processes are cut away at 15 near the throwout lever supports to facilitate assembly. The recesses are deep enough and the processes long enough so that plates 10 and 11 may move toward each other or away from each other for some distance before interfering or disengaging. Inside driven plate 10 has a centrally located hub 16 firmly fastened to it, the hub being splined to act as a driver for shaft 3; a portion of this shaft being splined a. sliding fit for hub 16 and release sleeve 17. The diameter of shaft 3 is increased at 37 to form a stop for hub 16 and limit the travel of the hub along the spline. The outer end of release sleeve 17 is grooved to form the inner race for a ball thrust bearing 18. The outer race for this hearing is formed by-two similar annular parts 19 and 20 securely held between parts 21 and 22, which not only retain the outer race arts but also act as a grease retainer and irt excluder. Furthermore, parts 21 and 22 are provided with trunnion hole lugs 23 to receive the trunnions of a throwout yoke for releasing the clutch, this yoke not bein shown. At the extreme outer end of reea se sleeve 17 is firmly fastened clutch brake disc 24. The bore of sleeve 17 is splined for a short distance from the inner end on shaft 3; the bore at the other end of the sleeve is a sliding fit on the unsplined portion of shaft 3; and the central portion of the bore forms a tapered recess with the lar st diameter of the taper near the inner all race. An oil hole 26 connects the ta ered recess with the interior of the ball t rust bearing. The oil for lubricating the thrust bearin is supplied from the transmission rough holes 27 and 28 in shaft 3, hole 28 leading to the tapered recess in collar 17. The tapered feature of the recess causes any oil that enters the recess to collect at the end having oil hole 26, due to centrifugal force when the engine is running, or gravity when it is not running.

One end of clutch throwout levers 29 is formed to fit and work in groove 17 around release sleeve 17. Levers 29 are connected to lugs 30.0n plate 10 by hinge pins 31, links 32, and hinge pins 33. Levers 29 are connected to lugs 34 on plate 11 by hinge pins 35. Hinge pins 31 and 35 are flatted at one end to prevent rotation, a corresponding flat being made in one of the pin holes in each set 0 lugs on each plate.

The action of the clutch is as follows: When engaged, springs 12 hold plates 10 and 11 firmly against friction facings 7 and 8 on plates 5 and 6. Motion is therefore transmitted from the flywheel through ates 5 and 6 by friction to interlocked p ates 10 and 11 which drive shaft 3 through splined hub 16. The clutch may be released by moving the thrust bearing away from the clutch, the motion being transmitted to release sleeve 17 and thence through release levers 29 to plates 10 and 11. The initial movement of levers 29 pulls plate 10 awa from friction facing 7 and against stop 3 on shaft 3. A further movement pulls plate 11 away from friction facing 8, thereby com letely releasing the clutch. A motion of t e thrust bearing toward the clutch reverses the above operations and provides a gradual engagement which is very desirable. It will be noted that, due to the arrangement of the release levers, less pressure is required to release the clutch than is exerted by the clutch springs. Also that the holding power of the clutch plates may be increased by increasing the angle included between the clutch plates, it being practical to make this angle anything desired from zero to about 170 degrees. It will also be seen that on new installations plate 5 may be dispensed with and the flywheel machined to form a seat for friction facing 7; also that the engaging surfaces of the clutch may be curved as well as plain. I fully realize these and other variations which may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention, and therefore I do not limit m self to the specific form shown and described.

I claim:

1. A power transmission clutch of the character described, including a driving member, a pair of dished plates attached to the driving member, friction linings attached to the inner surfaces of these plates, a pair of dished interlocking plates included between the friction linings and capable of making frictional drivin contact with the same, springs for forcing the interlockin lates outwardly a ainst the friction linings, a driven sha t, a hub eon centric with the interlocking or driven plates and actin as a driver between the driven lates an the driven shaft, means for limitmg the travel of the hub along the shaft, levers attached by hinge pins to one of the interlocking plates and b hinge pins through swingin links to t e other interlocking plate, an means for operating said levers III a manner to permit or release the spring pressure between the interlocking plates.

2. A power transmission clutch of the character described, including a driving member, driving plates mounted on the driving member, a driven member, interlocking plates installed between friction elements mounted on the driving plates, springs included between the. interlocking plates for forcing outwardly the interlockmg plates against the friction elements, a hub concentric with the interlocking plates and acti as a driver between the interlocking p ates and the driven member, means for limiting the travel of the hub along the driven member, links, levers and hinge pins for controlling the pressure of the interlocking plates against the friction elements, a sleeve concentric and rotating with the driven member, mounted thereon in a sliding relation and havin means for 0 er ating the pressure control ing levers, a all thrust bearing mounted on said sleeve, means for retaining the several parts of the ball thrust bearin in proper relation to each other means or supplying lubricant to the ball thrust bearing and retaining the same, and means for transmitting external pressure to the bearing housing for the purpose of releasing the clutch.

OTTO LEROY LEWIS. 

